A FATHER of two from Christchurch who refused to pay a £150 fine he incurred while dining at a fast-food joint in the town has won his battle against the restaurant chain.

Alex Cook, 45, was visiting KFC at Lyndhurst Road in Christchurch earlier last month with his two children.

He said that the place was very busy that evening, with the family waiting more than 20 minutes in the queue for their main meals, afterwards deciding to have some dessert.

But last week, Mr Cook received a parking enforcement notice from Liverpool-based company Civil Enforcement for £150 after apparently exceeding the 75-minute time limit for the car park.

Alex said: “I honestly didn’t see the signs. I didn’t even realise there was a time limit in place.

“I am furious about this.

“I was queuing for 20-25 minutes so we did not get our food for at least half an hour and then went back for pudding.”

Mr Cook said that when he spoke to the manager, he said he sympathised and would email headquarters to try and get a refund.

He added: “I am not paying a penny. You don’t go to a restaurant and expect to be booted out after 75 minutes.

“The annoying factor is my children’s mum parked at the same time and she never got a ticket.”

He added: “I want people to be aware of this. It is ridiculous. I can’t afford to pay 150 quid.”

A spokesperson for KFC franchise at Christchurch said: “A parking restriction was introduced at the Lyndhurst Road store to prevent non-KFC customers using the car park.

“The 75-minute time restriction is clearly sign-posted and is designed to accommodate our customers who generally eat for around 30 minutes.

“We have looked into this and although Mr Cook’s family did overstay the limit on April 8, this was because our restaurant was particularly busy.

“We’re happy to help our genuine customers, and have contacted the car park operator and asked them to cancel the fine.”